Time indicating device



March 31, 1936. 1.. s. HARRISON 2,035,045

TIME INDICATING DEVICE iled Oct. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l I a I TallI TU-INT- INVENTOR.

WTTORNEY March 31, 1936.

L. S. HARRISON TIME INDICATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 31, 1936 PATENT OFFICE TIME INDICATING DEVICE Laurence S. Harrison, Binghamton, N. Y., as-

signor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 20, 1934, Serial No. 'l49,16'l

11 Claims.

This invention relates to clocks and more particularly to a world clock in which the time indifferent parts of the world is simultaneously indicated.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and novel time indicating mechanism having a movable member carrying time indicating numerals adjacent to a plurality of stations with representations thereon designating different locations throughout the world.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mechanism for moving the member carrying time indicating numerals relative to the stations and for moving both relative to an observer whereby the stations may be observed in succession from a fixed position of the observer or at any angle by a plurality of observers.

Various other objects and advantages of my invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, and the invention also constitutes certain new and novel features of the construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of the clock.

Fig. 2 shows a section taken on a line through a central axis. I

In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, a circular base I is provided which is mounted on four spheres 2 fixed thereto. The base, which may be a casting of suitable metal or of wood is provided with a plurality of radial webs 3 terminating in the center at a boss 4, (Fig. 2). A vertical spindle 5 provided with three bearing surfaces 6 is fastened to the base I by means of a threaded portion 1 of smaller diameter projecting through an aperture in the boss 4 and held by means of a nut 8. A shoulder formed between the lower bearing surface 6 and the extension 1 serves to hold a plate 9 firmly clamped against the boss 4. Mounted on the plate 9 is a self-starting synchronous motor Ill, which is connected by a suitable train of gears H to a gear l2, which is fixed to a sleeve iii. The sleeve I3 is pivotally mounted on the spindle 5 bearing against the bearing surfaces 5 of said spindle which are relieved in between, and resting at the base on a ball race it which in turn rests on the plate 9.

Fixed to the sleeve i3 is a flange i5 which supports a plurality of brackets 16 attached thereto. These brackets in turn are fixed to a member II which in the preferred form is a hollow, pressed metal, member of conoidal shape.

These membersare providedwith a plurality of wheels I8 at the lower edge which rest on the base i and support it while rotating.

Also fixed to the sleeve l3 are collector rings 5 i9 which are suitably insulated from the sleeve and from each other and which are connected by means of wires 20 to a motor 2! supported by one of the brackets l6.

Wiping on the collector rings 19 are two brushes 1o 22 which are stationary and mounted on plate 9. These brushes are connected by wires 23 to suitable binding posts such as at 24 but in the drawings the wires have been cut away in order not to confuse the details of the drawings.

A sleeve 25 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve I3 and bears at its lower end on a shoulder 48 of the sleeve 13. A disk 26 is fixed to the sleeve 25. A gear 21 is rotatabiy mounted on the sleeve 25 and is held in frictional cooperation with the 20 disk 25 by means of a shoulder 49 on the sleeve 25 and a friction spider 50 held between the disk and the gear 21. This is the usual construction and method used between the driving gear and the minute-hand of the clock to permit the 25 minute-hand to be set. In the applicants structure the member 3| may be turned manually against the friction spider 50 in event the motor 2| should stop and the clock require setting. Normally the member BI is driven by the motor 2|.

The motor 2| is connected to the gear 21 through the gear train 28 by means of a pinion mounted on the motor shaft and meshing with said gear train. The sleeve 25 is therefore rotated by said motor through thefriction spider 35 previously explained and consequently the member 3| is rotated. Integral with the sleeve 25 at its upper end is a flange 29 which supports a plurality of brackets 30 fixed thereto and said brackets in turn are fixed to the member 3i 40 which is a hollow, sheet metal member of conoidal form similar to the member H. The member 3| is also provided with a plurality of wheels 32 at its lower periphery which rest on the upper surface of the member I1 and support the mem- 4 ber 3| during rotation.

A plate 34 having stiffening ribs 35 terminating in a boss 35 is fixed to the sleeve 13 and mounted on this plate is a representation of the Northern'Hemisphere of the world indicated by 50 the reference numeral 31. This member 31 is securely fastened to the plate by means of a rod 38 which is screwed into a plug 39 which in turn is fixed to the end of the sleeve i3.

Although only one terminal 24 is shown it is to 55 be understood that two such terminals are provided, they being located in the same plane and one behind the other. As shown in Fig. 2, there would be only one such terminal appear to view in the drawings. This is likewise true of terminals 40 and wires 4|. A suitable source of alternating current supply may be attached to terminal 24 and thus operate the synchronous motor Ill. The gear train H between the motor l0 and sleeve I3 is such that it will cause the sleeve I 3 to revolve twice a minute relative to the fixed base I. The synchronous motor 2| being mounted on the sleeve [3 will also rotate in an orbit about the spindle 5 and the member l1 likewise rotates about the spindle at the rate of two revolutions per minute. Inasmuch as the wires 23 are also connected to terminals 24 and thence to the power supply, current will be transmitted through said wires, thence to the collector ring l9, through wires 20, to the terminals of the synchronous motor the sleeve 25 isfsuch as to rotate thesleeve 25 at c the member I1.

2|. The gear train 28 connecting thismotor to the rate of one revolution per twenty four hours relative to the sleeve l3. As the member 3! is connected to the sleeve 25 this member will rotate one revolution per twenty-four hours relative to The member 3| is provided on the outside surface of its periphery with indicia and markings representing the hours of the day running from 12 midnight to 12 noon and from 12 noon to 12 midnight, with graduations between the hours indicating 10 minute intervals. Adjacent, thereto and on the outside periphery of the member l1 are a plurality of pointers registering with the I time indicia on the member 3|. The pointers are each connected integrally with a frame-like band 45 and within resenting various cities of the world. The cities indicated within the frame members are 10- cated relative to the meridians of the earths surface so that the meridians being adjacent to the pointers 45 substantially pass through the cities listed within the frame 46 corresponding to that pointer. As will be seen from the previous description the hemisphere 31 and the member l1, are fixed relative to each otherand should they remain stationary the member ,3l only would rotate at the rate of one revolution per twenty-four hours. The pointers45 register with the indicia on the member 3| to show the time. of day or night it is at the places corresponding to that particular pointer as designated within its corresponding frame 46. Thus, as viewed in Fig. 1 the time shown is 12 noon at Chicago, III., New Orleans, La., Winnipeg, Manitoba; and 1:00 P. M. at New York, N. Y., Washington, D. C Toronto, Ontario, etc. The members l1 and 31 revolve slowly together as previously described for the purpose ofmaking it more convenient for the observer, thus making it unnecessary for him to walk around the clock to observe the different times at the various locations.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited 1 the time of day at the location,

to brushes 22,

each frame is indicia repmoving said numeral as an axis and additional means for rotating the members in unison about said element without afiecting the rate of said relative movement.

2. A clock comprising a member carrying time indicating numerals, a. location indicating member cooperating with said numerals to indicate means for moving said numeral carrying member relative to said location indicating member, and means for moving the numeral carrying member and lolocation indicating member together without interfering with the relative movement between said two members.

3. A clock comprising a member carrying time indicating numerals, a location indicating member cooperating with said numeralsto indicate the time of day at the location,

said location indicating member, and means for moving the numeral carrying member and location indicating member together without inmeans for 'IIIOV". ing said numeral carrying member relative to terfering with the relative movement between.

said two members whereby all points. of the location indicating member are brought into the vision of an observer at a fixed point.

4. A clock comprising a member carrying time indicatingnumerals, a location'indicating member cooperating the time of day at the location, means for moving said numeral carrying member relative to said location indicating member, andmeans for moving said numeral carrying member and location indicating member together without interfering with the relative movement between said two members, thereby presenting a fixed location on the location member to visibility from all angles. r

5. A clock comprising a member carrying time indicating numerals, a location indicating member cooperating with saidnumerals to indicate the time of day at the location, means for moving said numeral carrying member relative to said location indicating member, and means for carrying member and location indicating member together without interfering with the relative movement between said two members, thereby presenting all points on the location member for observation with respect to the member carrying the time indicating numerals for observation from a plurality of positions. 7 a

6. A clock comprising a map, ing member ,for. indicating the points on the map,

a time indicattime at various time controlled means for moving the time indicating member relative to a time indicating various points on time controlled means for moving the member relative to the map,

means for moving the time indicating member and the map in unison without affecting said relwith said numerals to-indicate ative movement, for presenting different locations on the map for observation from a predetermined point, to present the readings resulting from the relative positions for observation from any point of the compass.

8. A ciock comprising a geographical map, a location indicating member bearing names of lo cations on the map, a member carrying time indicating numerals cooperating with said map and said location indicating member to indicate the difierent times at the different geographical locations represented on the map and the location indicating member, and time controlled means for causing relative movement between the numeral carrying member and said map and between said numeral carrying member and said location indicating member.

9. A clock comprising a geographical map, a location indicating member bearing names of looations on said map, a member carrying time indicating numerals cooperating with said map and said location indicating member to indicate the time at the difierent geographical locations represented on said map and said location indicating member, time controlled means for causing relative movement between the numeral carrying member and the map and between the numeral carrying member and the location indicating member, and additional means for turning said map, location indicating member and numeral carrying member as a unit about a vertical axis without affecting said relative movement.

10. A clock, a base, a member representing the earths hemisphere supported on said base for rotation, a member carrying time indicating numerals adjacent said first mentioned member and cooperating therewith to indicate the time at different points throughout the world, time controlled means for causing relative movement between said numeral carrying member and said first mentioned member, and additional means for causing movement of said numeral carrying member and said first mentioned member as a unit relative to said base.

11. A clock, a base, a member representing the earth's hemisphere supported on said base for rotation, a member carrying time indicating numerals adjacent said first named member and cooperating therewith to indicate the time at difierent points throughout the world, time controlled means for causing relative movement between said numeral carrying member and said first named member and additional means for rotating said numeral carrying member and said first mentioned member in unison without afiecting relative movement. 7

LAURENCE S. HARRISON. 

